Fort McMurray opened their southern road swing with a pair of victories. Danny Akkouche and Dustin Good led the offence with a trio of points, while Vincent Filion picked up both wins in net. Special teams also played a factor, with the power-play going 3-for-9 and the penalty kill a perfect 10-for-10.
The Oil Barons started things off with a shutout victory over the South Division leaders, snapping a five game losing streak to the Canmore Eagles that dated back to last season. Dustin Good had the Gordie Howe hat-trick, Danny Akkouche had a two point night, while Vincent Filion stopped all 24 shots he faced. The main storyline of the game was the special teams, as the MOB went 2-for-3 on the power-play and a perfect 9-for-9 on the penalty kill. Charles-Olivier Villeneuve opened the scoring late in the first period. A bouncing puck eluded a Canmore defender at Fort McMurray’s blue-line, and the product from Saguenay, Quebec sped away on a breakaway, snapping the puck, top corner on Alex Scheiwiller. It took just 1:29 for the Oil Barons to extend their lead. On the man advantage, the puck came to Good, who unleashed a one-timer that ricocheted off a defenceman and past Scheiwiller. It was Good’s third goal of the season and it gave Fort McMurray a 2-0 lead. The MOB continued their dominance in the second period, outshooting the Eagles and limiting chances against. Back on the power-play, Good pushed the puck to the right face-off circle for Danny Akkouche, and the veteran from Montreal picked the top corner for his seventh goal of the season. The third period was all about the Oil Barons penalty kill. While down a man, Fort McMurray killed off five Eagles’ power-plays thanks to several blocked shots and some timely saves from Vincent Filion, preserving the 3-0 victory.
The game in Calgary saw both teams go back and forth. In a five goal first period, the Canucks opened the scoring thanks to Cody Pisarczyk. The Airdrie, Alberta product was left alone at the top of the crease, and after a couple of chances he flipped the puck over Filion. The Oil Barons quickly responded. Carter Schmidt knifed his way through the neutral zone, before dodging a defender. The Kelowna native then picked the top corner for his sixth goal of the season, and his first in his return from injury. Calgary restored their lead just a couple minutes later. After a missed pass in the Canucks zone, Rhett Melnyk raced ahead on a 2-on-1, where he elected to shoot, beating Filion to make it 2-1. The Oil Barons’ hard work got them back even. Justin Dumais forced a turnover in the offensive zone, popping the puck in front of the net. Spencer Kunz was robbed by Lukas Renaud on the initial shot, but Danny Akkouche put home the rebound for his 20th point of the season, making it a 2-2 game. Fort McMurray then found their first lead of the night before the end of the first period. While on the power-play, Schmidt received the puck in the left face-off circle. He faked the shot and found a wide open Drew Freer, who tucked a backhander home against his former team for his second goal of the year. The back and forth play continued into the second period. Calgary tied the game at 3-3 thanks to a fortuitous bounce. Despite losing the puck, it slid back to a wide open Hayden Fechner in the slot, and the forward from Edmonton made no mistake, firing the shot off the post and in. Late in the second period, the MOB once again restored their lead. The puck pinballed onto the pads on Renaud, before hopping straight up, and Ryan Arnold batted it out of mid-air into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the year, giving Fort McMurray a 4-3 lead. The third period had plenty of chances and some amazing saves by both Filion and Renaud. However, neither team could find the back of the net, and the Oil Barons rolled on with the victory.
The southern road trip continues for the Oil Barons on Friday and Saturday when they take on the Drumheller Dragons and the Olds Grizzlys, respectively. Puck drop on Friday is at 7pm, while Saturday’s game starts at 2pm.
